Total Complaints
8 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS · model year
2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2005MERCEDES-BENZC-CLASS carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2005 C-CLASS is seats with 2 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (1) and power train:automatic transmission (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2005 C-CLASS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEATS | 2 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20140228SEATS
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BACK, LEFT BOLSTER, STARTED TO SMOKE AND BURNED A DIME SIZE HOLE IN THE LEATHER SEAT COVER. DRIVER'S SEAT HEAT WAS ON AT THE TIME. TURNING THE SEAT HEAT OFF SEEMS TO HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. SUSPECT SHORT IN SEAT HEAT WIRING. POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD! *TR
Mileage: 81,000
20120604POWER TRAIN
WHILE DRIVING EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ENGINE WOULD REV NORMALLY BUT VEHICLE ACTED AS IF IN NEUTRAL. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE OVER TO SIDE OF FREEWAY SAFELY. PLACED CAR IN PARK AND THEN SHIFTED BACK INTO DRIVE, AND CAR BEHAVED NORMALLY. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. ACCORDING TO, HTTP://JAYAUTO.WORDPRESS.COM, MERCEDES IS IN A FIGHT WITH ITS OWN SUPPLIERS BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE A LOW-QUALITY PART. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR 7-SPEED TRANSMISSIONS, PLEASE REPORT IT TO: NHTSA. ONLY THIS ORGANIZATION CAN ENFORCE MERCEDES TO DO A TRANSMISSION RECALL. IN 2011, MERCEDES MADE THEIR BIGGEST PROFIT IN THEIR HISTORY. HOWEVER, I DON'T THINK THEY WILL USE IT TO FIX THEIR ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION. *TR
Mileage: 72,280
20120604VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE DRIVING EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ENGINE WOULD REV NORMALLY BUT VEHICLE ACTED AS IF IN NEUTRAL. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE OVER TO SIDE OF FREEWAY SAFELY. PLACED CAR IN PARK AND THEN SHIFTED BACK INTO DRIVE, AND CAR BEHAVED NORMALLY. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. ACCORDING TO, HTTP://JAYAUTO.WORDPRESS.COM, MERCEDES IS IN A FIGHT WITH ITS OWN SUPPLIERS BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE A LOW-QUALITY PART. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR 7-SPEED TRANSMISSIONS, PLEASE REPORT IT TO: NHTSA. ONLY THIS ORGANIZATION CAN ENFORCE MERCEDES TO DO A TRANSMISSION RECALL. IN 2011, MERCEDES MADE THEIR BIGGEST PROFIT IN THEIR HISTORY. HOWEVER, I DON'T THINK THEY WILL USE IT TO FIX THEIR ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION. *TR
Mileage: 72,280
20120105ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SEAT CONTROL MODULE FAILURE. 2 MODULES PER CAR, 1 FOR PASSENGER SEAT, AND 1 FOR DRIVER SEAT FAIL. THE DEFECTIVE SEAT CONTROL MODULE UNIT WILL DEPLETE THE CARS BATTERY OVERNIGHT RESULTING IN A NO-START CONDITION THE FOLLOWING DAY. A NEW BATTERY, OR A JUMP START, WILL GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN. THE COMMON IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION IS TO UNPLUG THE SEAT CONTROL MODULE WHICH WOULD IMPACT THE SEATS ABILITY TO RESPOND IN AN ACCIDENT. THE REPLACEMENT PART AND DIAGNOSIS FROM MB DEALER IS APPROX $700/ MODULE. THIS IS A HUGE LIABILITY FOR MERCEDES OWNERS AND THE REPAIR SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR SEAT FUNCTION SAFETY. I UNDERSTAND THE PART NUMBER HAS BEEN UPDATED, WHICH I BELIEVE IS AN ADMISSION BY MERCEDES THAT THE ORIGINAL PART IS DEFECTIVE. *TR
Mileage: 105,000
20120105SEATS
SEAT CONTROL MODULE FAILURE. 2 MODULES PER CAR, 1 FOR PASSENGER SEAT, AND 1 FOR DRIVER SEAT FAIL. THE DEFECTIVE SEAT CONTROL MODULE UNIT WILL DEPLETE THE CARS BATTERY OVERNIGHT RESULTING IN A NO-START CONDITION THE FOLLOWING DAY. A NEW BATTERY, OR A JUMP START, WILL GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN. THE COMMON IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION IS TO UNPLUG THE SEAT CONTROL MODULE WHICH WOULD IMPACT THE SEATS ABILITY TO RESPOND IN AN ACCIDENT. THE REPLACEMENT PART AND DIAGNOSIS FROM MB DEALER IS APPROX $700/ MODULE. THIS IS A HUGE LIABILITY FOR MERCEDES OWNERS AND THE REPAIR SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR SEAT FUNCTION SAFETY. I UNDERSTAND THE PART NUMBER HAS BEEN UPDATED, WHICH I BELIEVE IS AN ADMISSION BY MERCEDES THAT THE ORIGINAL PART IS DEFECTIVE. *TR
Mileage: 105,000
20120105EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
SEAT CONTROL MODULE FAILURE. 2 MODULES PER CAR, 1 FOR PASSENGER SEAT, AND 1 FOR DRIVER SEAT FAIL. THE DEFECTIVE SEAT CONTROL MODULE UNIT WILL DEPLETE THE CARS BATTERY OVERNIGHT RESULTING IN A NO-START CONDITION THE FOLLOWING DAY. A NEW BATTERY, OR A JUMP START, WILL GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN. THE COMMON IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION IS TO UNPLUG THE SEAT CONTROL MODULE WHICH WOULD IMPACT THE SEATS ABILITY TO RESPOND IN AN ACCIDENT. THE REPLACEMENT PART AND DIAGNOSIS FROM MB DEALER IS APPROX $700/ MODULE. THIS IS A HUGE LIABILITY FOR MERCEDES OWNERS AND THE REPAIR SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR SEAT FUNCTION SAFETY. I UNDERSTAND THE PART NUMBER HAS BEEN UPDATED, WHICH I BELIEVE IS AN ADMISSION BY MERCEDES THAT THE ORIGINAL PART IS DEFECTIVE. *TR
Mileage: 105,000
20100827POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
A O-RING CONNECTED TO THE TRANSMISSION STARTED LEAKING OUT TRANSMISSION FLUID AFTER MY WIFE DROVE THE CAR IN THE SNOW, THE BACK TIRES HAD SOME TRACTION PROBLEM DUE TO THE WET SNOW EARLIER. ONCE THE CAR REACHED HOME, TRANSMISSION OIL WAS DRIPPING ONTO THE GARAGE FLOOR. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 25K ON IT, IN MINT CONDITION. SHE WAS TOLD BY OUR NEIGHBOR THAT SHE SHOULD NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS FIXED. THE WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP AND FIXED IN JANUARY WHEN I RETURNED FROM MY OVERSEE MISSION. THE MERCEDES SHOP INDICATED IT WAS A DEFECT IN THE O-RING DESIGN AND THAT A BETTER REPLACEMENT O-RING WAS INSTALLED FOR A HEFTY PRICE SINCE THE WARRANTY ON THE CAR ENDED THE PRIOR MONTH. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB TO SEE IF THIS PROBLEM WAS COMMON GIVEN IT WAS A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE O-RING. TO MY SURPRISE I FOUND THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT MERCEDES BENZ REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE. HAD SHE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SHE COULD HAVE ENDED UP DAMAGING THE TRANSMISSION AND WORSE GOTTEN STRANDED S
Mileage: 24,000
20060619AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
I RECEIVED A NOTICE IN APRIL THAT MY CAR WAS RECALLED BECAUSE OF AIR BAG SAFETY ISSUES. MERCEDES HAS NOT RECTIFIED THE SITUATION. *JB
Compare 2005MERCEDES-BENZC-CLASS to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS have?▼
The 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS?▼
The most-complained component for the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS is SEATS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.